Truth Will Out
by Felineyx
Summary: Sequel to Hidden Truth. There are decisions on the horizon for the MI5 team, and the outcomes may not be so pretty. AU, AH. May be some OOC-ness, but it'll be kept to a minimum.
1. Chapter 1

**BPOV**

"Isabella? Isabella? Anyone in there? Anyone at all?" I groaned softly as I heard Edward calling to me. I was having a perfectly lovely dream, a good sleep and then some inconsiderate spook had to wake me up right in the middle. And somehow, I just _knew_ it would be some ungodly hour too. But, unwillingly, I opened my eyes. Just in case.

"Bingo," I muttered. There was a clock directly in my eye line. Ten past four, and it was pitch black outside. Stupid bloody perfect people, always getting up at stupid times, never seeming to have the problem of actually needing to _sleep_, unlike the rest of the human race.

"Come on, Isabella. Time to move." Edward coaxed again as I closed my eyes.

"Lemme sleep..."

"Isabella Marie Swan, get your backside out of bed now, or so help me I will leave you for the entire criminal population of London to find!" Alice's yell came from right beside my left ear. She was her usual chirpy self then.

"Ok, ok. I'm moving."

"Thank you," Alice and Edward said in unison. They seemed to have an almost telepathic relationship, as far as I had been able to gather. Granted, I had only known Edward a matter of days, but they were mostly days spent away from his working environment, days spent here in another hospital. She had some kind of precognition, and he seemed to be able to read that really well, knowing almost without her telling him what was going to happen. _Why_ neither of them had seen the whole fiasco with those...evil people, I didn't know.

"Out of interest, what does the criminal population of London want with me?" I asked, pulling on the clothes handed to me by Alice. Edward had turned his back without needing to be asked.

"Just...they might find a use for you," Alice replied quickly, shooting daggers at Edward's back for some reason.

"What use?"

"Need to know basis Bella, and you don't." Edward's voice was sharp, an obvious sign that this wasn't a conversation he wanted to have.

"Ok, fine. Whatever." _Obviously I don't need to know about the people that are, you know, going to kill me. That's not important AT ALL, is it now Edward?_ I was still fuming ten minutes later, as we left the hospital by some pathetically secretive method.

"Ok...and clear, let's go." Edward muttered after checking round the last corner.

"Would it not have been easier for me to just discharge myself?" I wondered aloud.

"Shut up, Isabella. Sorry, but please." Edward's words were uncharacteristically harsh; a real difference from his normal ye olde-fashionede phrasings. He pulled me through the middle of a sudden crowd and out into the car park. Alice moved to the front and the pace of our little procession upped.

"Can we slow down please? Girl with broken leg here!" I called when I was a considerable distance behind. Edward moved towards me quickly, picking me up as though as I was as light as a feather.

"Edward, can we get a shift on? We're going to be late!" Alice yelled back. _Late for what?_ I wondered. Edward rolled his eyes and began to jog - still carrying me - closing the gap to Alice in no time.

"I don't see that they'll put up that much of a fuss if we're five minutes late." Edward told Alice. Strangely, he seemed to be having no trouble at all carrying me, despite the whirlwind of pace.

"Esme will. Anyway, we're at the car now."

"Fine. Isabella, love, you're going to have to have your eyes covered. Sorry. Protocol and all that." His feeble attempt at a joke fell flat, but at least he sounded sorry.

"Just do it."

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**A.N. Nice to see you, to see you...**_**somebody fill in the gap please! :D**_

**For anyone that has just read this and is really confused, it's the sequel to Hidden Truth. I **_**STRONGLY**_** recommend reading that first, as this fic **_**CANNOT**_** stand alone.**

**For all my Hidden Truth readers, welcome back. Y'all know the drill - reviews = happy Fee. Happy Fee = Updates.**

**Oh, and happy birthday to Jenny (aka x-flashwithwave-x) Sorry I forgot your card today, but I have made the one I bought amazing to make up for it.**

**Sorry for the shortness everyone - length doesn't come naturally to me.  
**

**Fee x **


	2. Chapter 2

**BPOV**

Whoever was driving drove like a complete maniac. And I hated them for it. How on earth was a girl in a blindfold supposed to manage when she was being thrown around corners at ninety miles an hour. Granted, I had a seatbelt on, but that wasn't helping. Nor was the fact that I only had one usable leg to brace myself with. An alarmingly short time after we'd started moving, we stopped again. The engine went off and someone got out of the front. Alice, I assumed, since Edward spoke from inside the car a moment later.

"Charlie Tango, the eagle has landed. I repeat, the eagle has landed." I had to bite the inside of my lip to keep from laughing. I had no idea anyone actually used that kind of terminology anymore.

"Edward, what century do we live in here? We're not here for something super secret. Though I suppose Carlisle will get a kick out of the whole Charlie Tango thing." Alice's chimes came from right beside my ear, startling me. "Ok, Bella, you need to get out now. But you have to keep that thing on. Personally, I don't see why-" Edward interrupted her there.

"You know _why_, Alice. I explained it enough times." He sounded worn and frustrated.

"She might as well be one of us, Edward. She deserves to know."

"Fine. She can take off the blindfold, but she can't look at the car. If anyone finds out about _that_, we're knackered."

"Do as he says, Bella." Alice's words came out wrapped in a sigh, but I could detect a note of smugness in there. She pulled the blindfold off and instantly put her hands over my eyes, giving them a chance to adjust. All too soon though, she dropped her hands and I was left squinting in the sunshine. "let Operation _Bravo Papa_-" she said the words in a mocking way, obviously irritated about something, "-begin."

"Don't look at me like that, Alice. This was your idea. I only went along with it because I owed you one." Edward rolled his eyes at her.

"You still owe me six." She replied sharply.

"Yes, but I did owe you seven." A hint of a playful smile tugged at his lips.

"Can we just get her inside already? Standing out here isn't going to do any good at all, is it?" Alice was frustrated. Alice one, Edward one.

"Ok, Tiny. Keep your fur on." Edward was all-out grinning now.

"I. Beg. Your. Pardon." Each word was punctuated, coming out as though each word would be a separate sentence.

"Excuse me?"

"What did you call me?"

"Nothing...Tiny."

"Alright, _Eddie._ You're gonna get it now." Alice proceeded to chase Edward round the yard, only stopping when a throat was cleared from behind me.

"Hate to spoil the playground games, but will you please get inside? Esme is going _nuts!_" Rosalie stood behind me, her expression carefully blank. "Honestly, you'd think they were school age. Section head and deputy...one of Carlisle's _bright ideas_...actually important..." Rosalie continued on her quiet rant to herself, as Edward and Alice looked sheepish but moved.

------

Having been directed down an enormous hallway and through a dramatic arch, I was too busy picking myself up off the floor to immediately notice the stillness of this room. There were balloons, a buffet. streamers, and most embarrassingly, banners. Banners that read: 'Happy birthday, Isabella!

"SURPRISE!" Five voices yelled. Jasper, Emmett, a blonde man I didn't know, a motherly looking lady who I didn't know, and...

"Dad?" What was he doing here? Why wasn't he back at home?

"That's right, honey. Happy birthday." He had a real look of love in his eyes. Not that I was going to forgive him.

"Two things, Dad. One, you know I hate parties." I paused for breath and Edward dived in.

"In your father's defence, Isabella, this was all Alice's doing." _Stupid pixie perfect...person! _"And all her idea. The rest of us just went along with it." _You're not so shiny either, are you? Make up your bloody mind. First you kiss me - taking me completely off guard, might I add - and then you pretend it never happened!_ I was so busy fuming I almost forgot I was in the middle of a sentence.

"And two, my birthday was yesterday!"

**-------**

**A.N. Couldn't resist. It was too similar to the New Moon birthday scene (in my head, at least) without Charlie screwing up. Silly man.**

**Well done to the person who got the Bruce Forsyth reference. Now...who can spot the reference to the film Princess Diaries 2? **

**Please review. Reviews = Happy Fee = Updates.**

**Fee x**


	3. Chapter 3

**EPOV**

"I know that, but there was no way you were getting out of hospital yesterday, so...today seemed as good a day as any." I could see a wildly desperate look on Charles' face. He had to be lying through his teeth here.

"And the whole hating parties thing?" Isabella was doing well there, I had to admit. She was backing him right into a corner.

"Don't knock it until you've tried it," Charles replied simply.

"I _have_ tried it. I didn't like it, and I believe I told you as much at the time." Her voice was sharp and cold. If I were Charles, I would stop right there and apologise.

"Yes...your feelings were quite apparent." There was a note of apprehension in his voice now.

"You know I didn't _mean_ to break that age-old umbrella stand by throwing the plate at it and then promptly falling over it."

"True. The plate was worst off until you fell over." There was a smile on Charles' face now.

"For goodness sake, can we move past this? We've got presents, and cakes, and food...and party games!" I didn't miss the excitement in Alice's voice as she added the last three words. I dreaded to think about what she had in store for the rest of us.

"You'll love the party games," Rosalie agreed with a smirk. _Heaven help us all._

"So, presents first!" Alice was like a small child at Christmas, except she was doing the giving. "So, this one's from the people at the hospital, this one's from me, that one over there is from your dad and that one with the bow is from Edward." I almost spat out my mouthful of lukewarm coffee. _From me?_ I hadn't even known it was Isabella's birthday until Alice had ambushed me, much less had time to buy her a present. I choked with surprise.

"Die quietly, Edward." Alice was dismissive. _And what if I was actually dying?_ I wondered, trying to catch my breath. Quietly.

"Thanks, Dad," Isabella said from the other side of the room. I risked looking up for a moment, seeing something shiny, before another fit of coughing forced my head back down.

"Open Edward's now," Alice demanded, fairly thrusting it into Isabella's arms. My shoulders shook with silent coughs as I forced them to stay inside. I craned my neck to see as Isabella opened it. _A necklace? A really flipping expensive necklace? What the hell?_

"Oh my god, I love it!"

------

"Okay, and now for the party games!" Alice drew one of our many card games out of the cupboard, and dealt with barely three flicks of the wrist. Isabella was terrible. She was so terrible that I had to actually manipulate her into losing, otherwise she'd have won, thought she was good and actually been complete crap. I succeeded, for the most part, until I became too obvious.

"You cheated!" Isabella finally accused me after I had been declared the winner. I just looked at her.

"Spook," I replied, in the kind of tone you'd say '_duh_' if you were twelve years old. "Besides, with us, the object of the game is to out-cheat everybody else."

"And you couldn't have _told_ me this?"

"Would have taken the fun out of the game, love." I twanged innocently.

------

**A.N. Why Sherlock, your powers of observation astound me. I never would have noticed that it's a stupidly short update.**

**Sorry folks. Anyway, we're playing spot the reference again. It's slightly edited from the original (swap the word that's there now for 'pirate' and you'll have it.) Cookies and kudos to anyone who does spot it.**

**Fee x**


	4. Chapter 4

**BPOV**

"You didn't know, did you?" I asked Edward quietly, having pulled him to one side. He glanced over to the other side of the room, presumably to check Alice's whereabouts.

"Not until about five minutes before we sprung you, no." I looked over to where Alice sat, busy with a game of some description. Whatever it was, it seemed to involve copious amounts of alcohol and a lot of laughter. Probably not a great mix.

"Oh, man," Edward groaned, watching the same spot that I was.

"What?" I asked, not seeing whatever the issue was.

"Karaoke is imminent, and sadly, Emmett loves karaoke." Edward winced as he spoke. "I'll never forget the time he started singing Relight My Fire. Painful."

"Ouch," I muttered, images entering my head of precisely what that could have looked like.

"Let's leave them to it," he said quickly, grabbing me by the hand and pulling me out of the door. The leaves were beginning to turn from their usual green to a shade of orange, readying themselves for fall. There was a slight chill to the air, and I shivered.

"It's beautiful," I said, taking in more of the scenery. I wasn't in a back garden here - I was in the countryside. There just seemed to be absolutely no end to this place. There was what looked like a forest, a miniature lake...

"It's alright," Edward mumbled, somewhat underwhelmed by it all. "Kind of loses the magic after a while though. Most of it, anyway."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Let me show you," Edward replied, picking me up again without waiting for an answer.

"I can walk, you know!" I protested feebly.

"It'll be quicker this way, and probably less painful. I know you better than you think - you have a tendency to fall over a flat surface with nothing on it. This is anything but flat."

"Fair enough. How do you manage to carry me like this without completely killing your shoulders?" I asked. He never seemed to even struggle to breathe with me.

"Practice," he muttered grimly. "Determination, too. If you want to do something badly enough, you'll do it."

Cryptic answer. Of course. Why would it be any different at all with him? He was a spook, trained well enough not to leak anything he didn't want to. He could be lying to me right now, could simply have spent an awful lot of time in the gym. Alice had once told me that it was impossible to know when he was lying, and perhaps that was true. But everybody has a tell. I'd spent enough time playing poker against my dad to know that. It's just a matter of working out what it is.

"Here," Edward said, putting me back onto my feet. "Pretty, isn't it?"

_Pretty?_ That didn't even begin to cover it. Out of this world would be a better description. He'd brought me to a meadow, a place that looked like something straight out of a fantasy book, where there should be fairies and pixies dancing on every surface. I pinched myself, hard, to make sure that this wasn't just a continuation of a dream or something.

"Ouch," I muttered. I'd pinched myself slightly too hard.

"Silly girl," Edward said, rubbing one hand absently over it. The hairs along the back of my neck stood on end and goosepimples appeared on my arms. "Sorry, I forget how cold it is out here," Edward suddenly added. "I don't feel it so much. Here." He passed me his jumper, leaving him in just a t-shirt. _Men._ They always had to misunderstand everything.

"It's fine, I'm not cold," I laughed, pushing his jumper back towards him. Why would I be cold? I had multiple jumpers on. And thermals, though I would avoid mentioning those.

"Take it anyway. The sun sets quickly," he insisted, glancing at his watch. "And soon."

"What is this place?" I asked, still amazed by the beauty of it all.

"Just somewhere I come to think every once in a while. It's good to clear my head out here. I grew up here, you know. Foster family. Not Carlisle and Esme, mind. Just nice, normal people. I hid out here once and it took them hours to find me," his wry smile vanished. "Damn near killed me."

"Did you mean it, Edward?" I asked, impatient with waiting.

"Mean what?"

"When you kissed me, in the hospital. Did you mean it?"

"Yes."

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**A.N. We're back!**

**I'm sorry. I sort of forgot about the story, then got talking to somebody I haven't spoken to in almost two years, then remembered and spent a day or so beating myself up about it. I know the update is kind of wibble, but at least it's here.**

**That has to be an improvement, right?**

**Usual drill. Review please, all that shebang. **

**Fee x**


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